Chocks away for Battle of Britain lectures at the RAF Museum in Hendon

To commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the RAF Museum in Hendon will be hosting three very special lectures by military historians. Each will look at a specific area of the iconic battle, and together they will give an overall insight into the events that took place on September 15, 1940.

Stephen Bungay will talk about the women of the WAAF, the first women in any military organisation to be placed in what was effectively the front line, in The Girls in Blue – The WAAF in the Battle of Britain (11.30am to 12.30pm).

James Holland takes a fresh look at one of the most iconic episodes in British history, examining the story that has been passed down into folklore and asking whether Britain’s victory in 1940 was even more comprehensive and significant that perhaps is widely thought, in The Battle of Britain – Myth & Reality (1pm to 2pm).

Finally, Peter Caddick-Adams will contrast the operational commanders Dowding and Goring, and examine how concepts of leadership within the two opposing air forces were quite different, in Blue and Grey – Command in the Battle of Britain (4pm to 5pm).

The Battle of Britain Weekend will conclude with the public opening of the Sir Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus exhibition, about the life of the pioneering aviator (4pm to 5pm).